On Thursday, July 23, 2020, PACD held it’s first virtual Executive Council Meeting. There were over 92 participants. During the meeting, the following business took place:

– A new policy was adopted: PACD encourages the PA Department of Agriculture and related agencies to develop a delegated agreement with conservation districts to provide funding and authority to battle invasive species.

– A bylaws change to move Armstrong Conservation District from the PACD South West Region to the PACD North West Region received preliminary approval. The final review will take place at the next PACD Executive Council meeting.

– The following slate of officers was re-elected: President – Mike Price, Beaver County Conservation District; 1st Vice President, Kelly Stagen, Pike County Conservation District; 2nd Vice President, Dennis Beck, Cambria County Conservation District; Secretary, Charles Duritsa, Westmoreland Conservation District; Treasurer, Sonia Wasco, Lancaster County Conservation District; NACD Director, Clifford Lane, McKean County Conservation District.

– The budget for the Fiscal Year 2020-2021 was approved with no dues increase.

During the meeting, PACD award recipients and PA Poster Contest Winners were announced, and board and partner reports were given.

Registration is open for the Management Summit 2020 Webinar Series, scheduled for Wednesday afternoons at 1:00 p.m. from September 2 through September 30. This year’s program features topics including Managing Remote Teams, Negotiation Skills, and Volunteer Engagement, as well as a follow-up session from the Summer Employment Law webinar series. The Summit Series program will be bookended by the Manager Forum meetings on Wednesday August 26 and October 7, giving Managers an opportunity for roundtable discussion on the topics of resilient leadership and team cohesion in times of uncertainty.

Agenda and registration for the Summit Series can be found at the Building for Tomorrow website. 

Financial and other support for the Building for Tomorrow Leadership Development Program is provided through a grant from the Pennsylvania State Conservation Commission. Guidance for the Program is provided through the Pennsylvania Conservation Partnership’s Leadership Development Committee.

PACD members and partner agency staff are invited to register for the PACD Executive Council Meeting, which will be held as a Zoom web conference on July 23, 2020, from 10:00 a.m. to Noon. Registration is free and is required to participate. Click here for more information and to register.

In the interest of keeping our members safe, the PACD Executive Board voted to cancel the in-person PACD/SCC Joint Annual Conference scheduled for July 22-23, 2020, in Boalsburg. Instead, the Executive Council session will be held virtually on July 23, 2020, at 10:00 a.m. and committees will meet individually via conference call or video call prior to the Executive Council session. The State Conservation Commission will announce plans for their July meeting separately.

Need to update your district’s slate of voting delegates? Contact Molly with PACD at mburns@pacd.org.

More information on the web conference will be shared as it is available.

The Pennsylvania State Senate and the House of Representatives declared May 3-9, 2020, as “Conservation District Week.” During this week, district offices will hold conference calls and virtual meetings with legislators.

Conservation district resources are available here. Resources include:

• Press Release
• Fact Sheet(Word)
• Template Letter to Legislators(Word)
• Follow-up Thank You Letter(Word)
• Template Proclamation(Word)
• Social Media Images

Please take advantage of these resources PACD created for conservation districts to use.

Pennsylvania’s conservation districts thank Governor Tom Wolf and members of the PA House and Senate for supporting the districts through the state budget.

Events conservation districts planned to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22, 2020, were canceled or modified due to the COVID-19 crisis. So what can we do to mark this momentous occasion? PACD suggests encouraging folks in your county to have a neighborhood trash pick-up while maintaining social distancing guidelines.

Another way to honor Earth Day with kids is to distribute the “We All Live Downstream” otter coloring page and the “Good Neighbors Activity & Coloring Book” through social media.

Please share your Earth Day messages on Facebook and tag @PAConservation.

The following trainings will be rescheduled due to the coronavirus.

• Spring 102/105 Basic Technical Training
• Spring 102/105 Topic-based Technical Training
• Fluvial Geomorphology Training

Additionally, all six of the PACD region meetings will be held via webinar. Check PACD’s events page at https://pacd.org/?page_id=65 for the latest information including the Agricultural Conservation Technical Training.

Close to 4,000 township officials and guests from all over Pennsylvania will attend the annual Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors (PSATS) Conference and Trade Show. Once again, there will be a conservation district booth at the show, which runs from Sunday, May 3, to Tuesday, May 5, 2020.

We are looking for volunteers for the following shifts:

• Sunday, May 3 from Noon – 5:00 p.m.
• Monday, May 4 from 7:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. and 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
• Tuesday, May 5 from 7:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Please consider volunteering for a morning or afternoon shift at the conservation district booth. PSATS is a valuable opportunity to promote districts, explain the type of work they do,  and reinforce existing relationships with local township officials.

Contact Jann McNamara at jmcnamara@pacd.org or 717-238-7223 to volunteer.

The 74th National Association of Conservation District’s Annual Meeting took place at Bally’s Las Vegas, February 8-12, 2020. NACD Director Cliff Lane and Alternate NACD Director Kelly Stagen joined by several other conservation district and partnering agency representatives.

Hosted in partnership with the Nevada Association of Conservation Districts, NACD’s 2020 Annual Meeting brought together nearly 1,000 conservation leaders from across the nation for educational sessions, workshops, and networking. This year’s meeting theme, “Conservation Innovation: Working from the Roots Up,” explored innovative techniques for delivering conservation on the ground.

During the meeting, the Board of Directors elected Michael Crowder of West Richland, Washington, to serve as the association’s president-elect.

Mark your calendar and join us for the PACD spring region meetings!

The region meeting dates and locations are as follows:

March 24, 2020
PACD South Central Region Meeting
Cumberland County Conservation District, Carlisle, PA

March 26, 2020
PACD North Central Region Meeting
Clinton County Conservation District, Mill Hall, PA

March 31, 2020
PACD South West Region Meeting
Westmoreland Conservation District, Greensburg, PA

April 3, 2020
PACD North East Region Meeting
DEP Northeast Regional Office, Wilkes-Barre, PA

April 22, 2020
PACD North West Region Meeting
Venango County (location TBA)

April 30, 2020
PACD South East Region Meeting
Henning’s Market, Harleysville, PA